That contractor in Austin who called my brick a 'puzzle' really got under my skin

I was repairing a retaining wall on a job last June, and this guy walks up from the house next door, says, 'Looks like you're just fitting a puzzle, not actually building anything.' I stopped mixing mortar and asked him what he meant. He had this smug grin like he knew something, but I just pointed at the 45s I had just cut and asked if his puzzles had perfectly crisp corners. It stuck with me because half the battle is showing people the skill is in the setup, not the stacking. Anybody else get tired of hearing bricklaying called 'simple' by people who've never held a trowel?

4 comments

4 Comments

margaret3041mo agoMost Upvoted

9 times out of 10 when I see brickwork up close it's got wavy lines" - lol yes this is so true. I helped my buddy redo his patio last spring and the old brick was so bad it looked like a kids art project. The grout lines were thicker than my thumb in some spots and practically invisible in others. I get why people call it a puzzle when half the time it looks like someone just smashed bricks in and hoped for the best.

reesemoore1mo ago

9 times out of 10 when I see brickwork up close it's got wavy lines and big globs of mortar smeared everywhere so I get why the contractor said what he did. I lived in Austin for 2 years and half the new houses had bricks that looked like they were stacked by a guy on his lunch break. You can be mad about the puzzle comment all you want but the truth is most people don't know good brick from bad brick so they just call it what it looks like to them. Cutting a 45 is basic stuff man, that's like getting upset someone doesn't clap for you tying your shoes. If your work really stands out the setup and the crisp corners will speak for themselves without you having to explain it.

drew_park1mo ago

Does this mean I should stop being proud of my straight grout lines in the bathroom tile I did last weekend? @reesemoore you're probably right though, I bet nobody even notices unless the grout is all over the place.

ryanh561mo ago

Ngl your straight grout lines are something to be proud of. Most bathroom tile jobs I see have gaps that look like they were done blindfolded. My cousin redid his shower and the lines were so bad you could stick a dime in some spots. Yours probably actually looks clean and professional. Be proud of that because most people definitely don't nail it like that.